Has the Millennial Housing Boom Only Just Begun?

The largest, most diverse generation in U.S. history has experienced setbacks, but many are now moving past student debt and the effects of the Great Recession into their prime buying years.

1 minute read

November 8, 2021, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Millennials

Gustavo Frazao / Shutterstock

"We've only seen the beginning of millennial housing demand," writes Hillary Hoffower to amplify the points made in a recent "commentary" written by Dana M. Peterson for Barron's [paywall]. Unless you have a subscription to Barron's, Hoffower's aggregation will have to stand in for the analysis provided by Peterson, who is the chief economist at non-profit The Conference Board.

Many Millennials are just now entering into peak home-buying years, according to Peterson's argument. Many have struggled for years to build up the necessary cash to buy a home thanks to the Great Recession and a "mountain of student debt" incurred by the record high cost of college.

"The sheer size of the millennial population, and the fact that they are just entering peak years for starting families and earning money, means that demand for housing has room to run," writes Peterson for Barron's.

The implication, of course, is that a new glut of Millennial homebuyers is adding additional demand to a housing market already sodden with low-interest rates and competition from institutional buyers, work from home, and a lack of existing supply.

Sunday, October 31, 2021 in Barron's

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